Have you ever seen professional baseball jerseys and wondered how they get the numbers to look like that? That unique look is the result of a type of embroidery called tackle twill embroidery.

Tackle twill is a process where patches made of twill are custom-cut to a specific design and then tacked down and sewn onto a garment with an embroidery machine. This process is different from just sewing on patches because the twill is almost seamless with the garment, creating a really unique texture. Tackle twill is highly durable and a great option for those wo are looking for something unique, and high quality!

While tackle twill embroidery is often associated with numbers or simple text, its potential goes far beyond that. Let’s take a look at this tackle twill design by A Hazy World.

Compared to other tackle twill designs, instead of using two layers of twill, A Hazy World used one layer of twill and added regular embroidery to create the full design.

How do you make tackle twill embroidery?

We use our special cutting machine to custom-cut patches of twill.
We sew an outline of the patch on the garment with our embroidery machine.
We tack down the twill patches with iron perfectly lined up with the outline. The twill we use has a special adhesive on the back that allows it to stay down during the cutting process and sticks to the garment.
After the patches are tacked down, we secure the patch by using our embroidery machine to sew a zig-zag stitch around the edges.
Depending on the design, we will either sew down another outline to lay another set of twill and repeat the sewing process — Or we will go ahead and add the additional embroidery to complete the design.

How does the cutting machine work?

We use a type of cutter called an Io-Line machine. Our Io-Line machine reads DXF files (Drawing Exchange Format), which are a specific type of design file that the Io-Line machine uses. The DXF file is uploaded to the machine, which tells the machine where to cut the patch and how big or small to make it. The DXF file contains the design specifications for the patch, including its size and shape. Once the DXF file is uploaded, the Io-Line machine uses a laser cutter to cut the patch from a sheet of fabric.

How do I know if tackle twill is best for my design?

When making designs for embroidery, it’s helpful to have the type of embroidery you want in mind while making it. However, that doesn’t mean an existing design can't be used for tackle twill!

Pay close attention to elements like color and the size of different areas within your design. For instance, if you’re working with a large yellow smiley face featuring black details, tackle twill might be an ideal choice for you.

Tackle twill is a great option if you’re looking to do a large design that may have a lot of stitches!

Either way, our embroidery team will be able to help you out and let you know which type of embroidery would be best for your design.

How is tackle twill different than regular embroidery?

Tackle twill embroidery may not seem that different from regular embroidery, but there are some key differences. First, when doing large-scale embroidery, stitches are used to fill in the areas to create the full design. In contrast, the twill is already colored, and the embroidery machine adds the details to create the full design.

When creating garments with embroidery, the cost of the design is based on stitch count and with tackle twill, there’s less stitches! Because most of the design is twill, you don't need as many stitches to create your full design. This can save you money, especially since we're offering 15% off tackle twill orders for the month of August. Read more about how to place a tackle twill order and save here.